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Transformations
News from Fistula Foundation, Summer 2015
PAGE 2
Action on Fistula: Year One
Your Donations at Work: Nigeria
PAGE 3
ACOG Honors Dr. Denis Mukwege
Reader’s Corner:
The Most Good You Can Do
3-Year Commitment from
Dining for Women
PAGE 4
One Woman’s Story
Meet our Newest Team Members
PAGE 5
Making Quality Surgical Care a Right
$15,000 Awarded by
Caridad Partners
Fistula Nurse Honored by
U.S. Embassy
PAGE 6
Southern Africa Regional
Surgeons Meeting
Giving Women in Malawi
Freedom From Fistula
PAGE 7
Supporter Spotlight
PAGE 8
Nicholas Kristof Gives Foundation
Partner “A Little Respect”
CEO Kate Grant Speaks at
Princeton University
Fistula Founda!on
1922 The Alameda, Suite 302
San Jose, CA 95126­1430
408­249­9596
info@fistulafounda!on.org
www.fistulafounda!on.org
Facebook.com/FistulaFounda!on
@Fistula_Fdtn
U.S. Tax ID 77­0547201
Combined Federal Campaign #11521
behalf of phect-NEPAL/Kathmandu Model Hospital
“ On
we are touched and overwhelmed by the concern from
our friends and wellwishers like you. God bless you!!! ”
– Dr. Ganesh Dangal
Fistula Foundation Donors Help Rebuild Nepal
Campaign raises $150K in 24 hours
In the days following the devastating April earthquake in Nepal, we were relieved to hear
from our partner surgeon in Kathmandu, Dr. Ganesh Dangal, that he and the rest of the
team at Kathmandu Model
A scene from Kathmandu Model Hospital
Hospital were safe. Dr. Dangal
in the days following the earthquake
and his dedicated colleagues got
to work immediately providing
medical assistance to the injured,
squeezing in beds wherever space
could be found. Unfortunately
this only included space on the
ground floor, as the upper floors,
including the operating room
where fistula surgeries had
previously taken place, were
damaged extensively.
Photo credit: Amie Ferris-Rotman
IN THIS ISSUE
Photo credit: Dr. Ganesh Dangal
© Paula Allen / V-Day
As we anxiously considered ways
to help Kathmandu Model
Hospital get its operating room
back up and running, a generous
donor named Frank Richardson stepped forward to offer a 2:1 matching grant to anyone
who donated to our Nepal campaign, up to $100,000.
We were inspired by the generosity and rapid response of
Mr. Richardson and of supporters like you, who helped
us exceed our fundraising goal in less than 24 hours!
Thanks to you, Dr. Dangal and the team at Kathmandu
Model Hospital now have the resources they need to
rebuild their operating room once the situation in
Kathmandu has stabilized.
Frank Richardson generously donated
$100,000 for a matching grant
challenge during our Nepal campaign.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you
have done! Stay tuned for more updates from Nepal.
Collage photos credit: Georgina Goodwin
400 Lives Transformed in
First Year of Action On Fistula
May marked the one year anniversary of the launch of
Action on Fistula, a three year, $2 million initiative
designed to make a lasting impact on fistula treatment
in Kenya, led by Fistula Foundation and funded by
Astellas Pharma EMEA. The key objectives of Action on
Fistula are focused on three critical areas – treatment,
training, and community outreach – and we are excited
to share our progress with you. Over the last year:
400 women
have received free fistula surgery
Four facilities
have been added to the Fistula Treatment Network
Two new Kenyan surgeons
have been trained through the International Federation of
Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) training program
Five local organizations have conducted over
850 outreach activities in 18 different counties
that reached 60,000 community members
There is a lot to celebrate as we look back on the first year of Action on Fistula,
and we are eagerly looking ahead to year two as we help more women in more
areas of Kenya get the treatment they need.
Your Donations At Work
The National Obstetric Fistula Center in Babbar Ruga, Nigeria, is part of
the country’s National Fistula Program network. While it is able to perform
hundreds of repair surgeries each year, one of its head fistula surgeons,
Dr. Sadiya Nasir, reported to us that much of their equipment had become
worn and outdated. Funding from
Niger
Fistula Foundation and our small
grants partnership through
Katsina
Benin
Johnson & Johnson enabled the
Center to purchase much-needed
Nigeria
Chad
new equipment and medical supplies
this year in order to provide the
Central
African
Cameroon
SOUTH
highest quality of patient care and
ATLANTIC
Republic
OCEAN
surgeon training possible.
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Photo credit: Babbar Ruga Fistula Hospital
Essen!al medical equipment delivered to fistula hospital in Nigeria Dr. Denis Mukwege
Honored by ACOG
Dr. Mukwege is the
founder and lead surgeon
at Panzi Hospital in the
Democratic Republic of
the Congo, one of our
longest-term partners. He
was honored by ACOG for
his pioneering work in
specialized responses to
sexual and gender-based
violence and in advocating
for the rights and
empowerment of
Congolese women.
Photo credit: The Life You Can Save
Congratulations to our partner surgeon Dr. Denis Mukwege, who was
recently recognized as a College Honorary Fellow by the American
Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) at their 2015
Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Reader’s Corner:
The Most Good You Can Do
Dr. Mukwege with Fistula Foundation CEO
Kate Grant at ACOG’s Annual Meeting
Global Charity Announces
3-Year Commitment to Fistula
Looking for a good read? How
about Peter Singer's new book,
The Most Good You Can Do?
The book is all about Effective
Altruism—the simple but
profound idea of doing the
"most good you can do" with
the resources you have. Fistula
Foundation is honored to be
mentioned in the book AND to
be one of 16 organizations
recommended by Singer's
organization, The Life You Can
Save. Learn more at
www.thelifeyoucansave.org.
We are proud to have been selected as a ‘sustained program’ by Dining for
Women (DFW)! Established in 2015, sustained programs receive three-year
grants totaling $60,000 ($20,000 each year) and are an opportunity for
DFW to make a longer-term commitment to previously featured programs.
Fistula Foundation will be a sustained program until 2017, and funding will
support fistula treatment for at least 135 women in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Guinea and South Sudan.
Dining for Women is a
global giving circle
that funds grassroots
programs working in
developing countries
to fight gender
inequality. They have
412 chapters across the U.S. whose members meet on a regular basis to
share a meal and learn about featured programs. DFW previously funded
grants for our work in Ethiopia in 2008 and 2011.
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ONE WOMAN’S STORY
Bilkis from Bangladesh
Bhutan
Nepal
India
Bilkis was treated at
HOPE Hospital
in Cox’s Bazar
India
Bangladesh
Cox’s Bazar
Myanmar
(Burma)
Photo credit: HOPE Foundation for Women & Children of Bangladesh
Bilkis is just 20 years old. She developed an obstetric fistula during the delivery of her first baby. Under the guidance of
a traditional birth attendant, Bilkis labored at home for two days before being taken to a hospital. By the time she
arrived, her baby was stillborn. Bilkis was heartbroken by the loss of her child, which was made worse by the fact that
she was now incontinent. Her husband left her and married another woman, so Bilkis went to live with her parents.
She remained in the home and did not engage in any social events, as other people in the community were not
sympathetic to her condition.
Thankfully, Bilkis came into contact with the team at HOPE Hospital in Cox’s Bazar only six months after her
complicated delivery. She underwent two surgeries and was finally able to leave the hospital completely dry. Still young
and with her whole life ahead of her, Bilkis is looking forward to being a part of her community once again.
Meet the Newest Members of our Team!
Welcome DeAndra and Steven, the newest additions to Team Fistula!
DeAndra Hicks
DeAndra joined Fistula Foundation in May 2015 as Vice President of Marketing and Development.
A seasoned and versatile fundraiser, DeAndra joined the Foundation from Ocean Conservancy, where
she spent the last seven years directing the organization’s membership program and leading efforts to
promote planned giving and major donor cultivation. Prior to that role, DeAndra served as Director of
Development Operations for American Farmland Trust and as Manager of Development Operations at
World Wildlife Fund, where she focused on cause-related marketing and individual and institutional
giving. DeAndra holds a degree in international relations from American University.
Steven Armstrong
Steven joined Fistula Foundation as a seasonal staff member and was recently
brought onto the team full-time as Communications Assistant. He brings with
him creativity and a passion for the arts. Previously, Steven applied his
administrative and writing skills while working at a nonprofit Bar association.
He holds a BA in Creative Arts from San Jose State University and an MFA in
Writing and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
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Making Quality Surgical Care a Right
Caridad Partners
Award $15,000 Grant
to Fistula Foundation
Fistula Foundation an Inaugural Member of G4 Global Alliance
On May 19, the G4 Alliance was officially launched at a meeting and kick-off
ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, to coincide with the 2015 World Health
Assembly. G4, of which Fistula Foundation is a member, is a global alliance for
surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anesthesia care that advocates for neglected
surgical patients in low-resource countries. Fistula Foundation was represented at
the event by our Board Chair Dr. Suzy Elneil, who also represents
Fistula Foundation by serving on the Board of G4 Alliance.
Fistula Foundation was
honored to receive a $15,000
grant from Caridad Partners, a
giving circle of San Francisco
Bay Area women who seek to
enhance the lives of women
and children internationally.
The sixteen members of
Caridad Partners pool their
individual contributions to
fund charitable organizations
that demonstrate a positive
track record and are
committed to measuring and
reporting impact and results.
Photo credit: G4 Alliance
The numbers are staggering: Over two billion people lack access to
basic surgical services worldwide with less than 4% of all operations
being delivered to the world’s poorest countries. In fact, Africa has
roughly 1% of the total number of surgeons found in the U.S. This is of
particular interest to us at Fistula Foundation, as 289,000 women die every year
of childbirth because they do not have access to safe surgical intervention; most
of these deaths are completely preventable. Women who do survive a difficult
childbirth too often suffer from injuries like obstetric fistula, which also requires
surgery to repair. That is why we are a proud member of the G4 Alliance and its
vision to make sure all patients have access to the surgical care they need.
Caridad’s generous gift will be
used to support the work of
CURE International Hospital
in Kabul, Afghanistan, funding
a workshop for up to 40
healthcare workers based in
provinces outside of Kabul
who will be trained with skills
needed to identify and
educate patients about free
fistula services available at the
hospital. We are grateful to
Caridad for entrusting their
funds to us to help women in
Afghanistan learn about the
treatment that can transform
their lives.
Fistula Nurse Honored by U.S. Embassy
Congratulations to Winnie Nakalema, a fistula nurse at our partner
site Kitovu Hospital in Uganda who was recently honored with the
Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Acts award by the American
Embassy in Kampala. The award is given each year to women in
Uganda who have shown courage in the fields of medicine, military,
law, and/or in their community.
5
Regional Strategy Meeting of Surgeons Convened in Malawi
Building on the success we’ve seen in assembling partners in Kenya and Nepal, we recently convened a meeting of surgeons in
Malawi as a first step towards establishing a treatment network in southern Africa. The meeting was attended by our CEO
Kate Grant, Medical Director Dr. Steve Arrowsmith, and Program Director Lindsey Pollaczek, as well as eight partner surgeons
from Malawi, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Not only did the meeting give participants an assessment of the current fistula
treatment landscape in each country represented, but it was also an opportunity for surgeons to come together, build
relationships, and find ways to work together throughout the region to get women treated faster.
Joining Forces with
Freedom From Fistula in Malawi
FFF founded by Ann Gloag, one of
the U.K.’s top business leaders
Tanzania
Malawi
Photo credit: Freedom From Fistula Foundation
Lilongwe
Ann Gloag (top right) celebrating with healed fistula patients.
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Meet one of our newest partners, the Freedom from
Fistula Foundation (FFF), founded by one of the UK’s
most successful business leaders, Ann
Gloag. FFF seeks to end the suffering
caused by obstetric fistula by providing Zambia
free surgeries at its three project sites
in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Malawi, and
has an impressive list of supporters
that includes Liberian President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf and former Malawian
President Dr. Joyce Banda. Through
our new partnership in Malawi, at least
300 women will receive fistula repair
surgery at FFF’s Fistula Care Centre at
Blaiwa Hospital in Lilongwe and two
new fistula surgeons will be trained.
Mozambique
Supporter Spotlight:
Benefit Concert Funds Fistula Treatment
Sue Hoese first heard about fistula on an episode
of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005. She was moved by the
program, and soon found herself watching the documentary
“A Walk to Beautiful” and brainstorming ways to get
involved. As a jewelry maker in her spare time, Sue decided to
gather a group of friends to learn more about fistula and make
bracelets to send to fistula patients in Ethiopia. By the end of
that first summer, she and her friends had made an incredible
1,500 bracelets! Much to her surprise and delight, Sue was
able to deliver the bracelets in person as part of an Oprah
follow-up show – a truly life-changing experience!
Sue continued to be a passionate advocate for fistula, and her
passion soon began inspiring others. Earlier this year, Sue’s
husband Kevin shared her story and some information on
obstetric fistula with one of his favorite musicians, Natalie
Gelman. As an activist and champion of women’s issues,
Natalie was inspired and wanted to use her creativity and
talent to raise awareness about this too-often hidden
condition. Together, the three organized a benefit concert at
Sue and Kevin’s home in Minnesota, which raised over
$2,000 in support of fistula treatment!
Natalie Gelman performs a benefit concert for Fistula Foundation.
Many thanks to Sue, Kevin and Natalie for their support! Be
sure to visit www.nataliegelman.com to listen to Natalie’s new
album and find out when she is coming to a city near you.
DID YOU KNOW?
With the help of a professional jewelry
maker, Sue designed the Dignity Bracelet,
one of our original Gifts That Heal! While
we no longer carry the Dignity Bracelet,
you can view our other gift items at
www.fistulafoundation.org/giftsthatheal.
Sue Hoese (third from right) and friends
model the original Dignity Bracelet.
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Photo credit:
Half the Sky Movement
Nicholas Kristof Gives Foundation Partner
“A Little Respect”
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, New York Times columnist
and fistula advocate Nicholas Kristof visited Angola in
March to pay a visit to one of Fistula Foundation’s longestterm partners, Dr. Stephen Foster. For the last decade, Dr.
Foster has run the Centro Evangélico de Medicina do
Lubango (CEML), a missionary hospital that offers the local
population a stable, centrally-located hospital and provides
patients with transportation, surgery, housing and
nutritional therapy. Like his father before him, Dr. Foster
has served as a lifelong missionary surgeon in Africa.
said, they fired Ak-47 rounds near his feet. He held firm,
and they eventually retreated without the nurses.
Oh, by the way, this is where Dr. Foster raised his family.”
Dr. Foster and his dedicated hospital team have treated
hundreds of women suffering from fistula since we partnered
with them in 2009, and we are proud to see his work
celebrated by Mr. Kristof.
In his article “A Little Respect for Dr. Foster,” Mr. Kristof
highlights some of the challenges Dr. Foster has faced:
“Foster…has survived tangles with a 6-foot cobra and
angry soldiers. He has had to make do with rudimentary
supplies: Once, he said, he turned the tube for a vehicle’s
windshield-washing fluid into a catheter to drain a patient’s
engorged bladder.
Armed soldiers once tried to kidnap 25 of his male nurses,
and when Foster ordered the gunmen off the property, he
To read this ar!cle, please visit www.fistulafounda!on.org/dr­foster.
On April 8, Fistula Founda!on
CEO (and Princeton alum!)
Kate Grant presented a
lecture, graduate seminar, and
student informa!on session at
Princeton University around
the theme “Underreported
and Overperforming: How
One Nonprofit is Escala!ng
a Li"le­Known Issue to Help
the World’s Poorest Women.”
This event was an opportunity
to raise awareness on campus
and in the community, and was
preceded by a luncheon hosted
by Fistula Founda!on Board
member Susie Wilson.
News
Alumna Kate Grant
Gives a Voice to
World’s Poorest
Women
Kate Grant MPA '94 is CEO
of the Fistula Foundation,
which funds more obstetric
fistula surgeries than any
other non-governmental
organization in the world.
Photo credit: Dr. Tareq Salahuddin
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